Electric range



March 12, 1968 5. H. FILIPAK ELECTRIC RANGE Filed May 20, 1965 mOmOm ozEmw INVENTOR Edmund H. Filipok Q ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,373,261 ELECTRIC RANGE Edmund H. Filipak, Lexington, Ohio, assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 20, 1965, Ser. No. 457,451 2 Claims. (Cl. 219-463) This invention relates, in general, to electric ranges or the like .and, more particularly, to an improved support means for surface heaters used therewith.

Most, if not all, surface cooking units used with electric ranges or the like consist of a heater unit, drip pan and trim ring supported in an opening in the top surface of the range. Since it is necessary to remove the drip pan quite frequently for cleaning, it is desirable to provide pivot means associated with one end of the heater unit, under which the drip pan is nested, thereby permitting the heater unit to be pivoted out of the way when removing the drip pan. It is not desirable, however, to have the heater unit flopping around within the trim ring, which will be the case with many pivoting arrangements commonly used.

To eliminate this problem in some prior art devices, a metal strap has been mounted to the heater directly or indirectly adjacent one end thereof and is inserted in an opening in the trim ring. A helically coiled spring is connected to the trim ring and to the end of the metal strap inserted through the opening in the trim ring, thus, the spring serves to bias the heater unit into latching engagement with a latch member at the other end of the heater. With an arrangement of this type, it is necessary to disconnect the biasing spring from the trim ring an from the metal strap in order to remove the trim ring for cleaning. Reconnecting the spring is a burdensome task which frequently leads to the discarding of the spring, thereby eliminating the locking feature.

Accordingly, it is the general object of this invention to provide improved means for supporting surface heaters in electric ranges or the like.

It is a more particular object of this invention to provide means consisting of a minimum number of parts for supporting, positioning and effecting locking of surface heaters in the top of an electric range or the like.

Briefly, the present invention accomplishes the abovecited objects by providing a one-piece spring structure, one portion of which may be attached to a conventional coiled sheathed resistance heater while another portion is provided with a horizontally extending member insertable in a first opening in a standard trim ring, thereby providing a hinged knuckle for pivoting the heater element. The heater element is attached to .a three legged spider support, one leg of which carries a tab insertable into a second opening in the trim ring oppositely disposed from the first opening. The spring serves to bias the heater and the tab carrying support leg in the direction of the second opening such that the tab is biased into the second opening, thereby locking the heating unit in place.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out in particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may 'be had to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an electric range incorporating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line IIII of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line III- III of the FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, especially FIG. 1, reference character 10 designates generally an electric range having a top panel or supporting surface 11 with an opening 12 therein. A trim ring 18 having an outwardly extending flange 14 which bears on the top panel 11, thereby supporting the trim ring in the opening 12. The trim ring,

made from a highly polished metal in order to enhance the appearance of the assembly, also has a lower inwardly projecting flange 16 joined to the upper flange 14 by the vertical wall 17. A spring clip 18, attached to the outer periphery of the vertical wall 17, serves to secure the trim ring in the opening '12. To this end the spring clip may be snapped into a notch 19 disposed in a vertical lip portion 21 depending from the top panel 11.

Supported by the lower flange 16 is a drip pan 22 having a peripheral horizontally or outwardly extending flange 23 which rests on the lower flange 16.

A heater unit 24 of the spirally coiled tubular sheathed type is secured to a three-legged supporting spider 26 of the type described and claimed in US. Patent No. 2,725,426 of Paul M. Weyrick, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The ends of the spider legs are supported by the flange 23 of the drip pan 22, which, in turn, are supported by the flange 16, whereby the heater unit 24 is supported in the opening 12.

The heater unit 24 has a pair of laterally extending terminal portions 27 which project under the top panel 11 through a cut-away portion 25 in the drip pan 22 and beyond the opening 12. A drip shield 28 is attached to the terminal portions 27 at a point located beneath the supporting surface or top panel 11 to prevent drippage from flowing along the heater sheath and reaching the point of connection of the terminal portions to a terminal block 29 and electrical connections therein. The drip shield is formed by a flat metal plate having a pair of openings through which the terminal portions 27 extend, the terminal portions being rigidly attached thereto as by staking.

The spider 26 is so attached to the heater unit 24 that one of the three legs (see FIG. 2) is axially aligned with the horizontally projecting terminal portions 27 but in a plane above that occupied by the terminal portions. A tab 31 carried by the axially aligned leg is insertable in an aperture 32 in the vertical wall 17 of the trim ring 13. This tab and aperture arrangement serves to latch the heater unit 24 in position within the trim ring, such latching being effected through the biasing force created by a substantially U-shaped spring structure 33. The tab and aperture can, therefore, be considered cooperating latch members of a latching arrangement.

The spring structure 33 is attached to the heater by welding or otherwise rigidly securing it to the drip shield 28 at a point intermediate the heater terminal portions 27. One of the legs of the spring structure is provided with a horizontally extending foot portion 34 having a projection 36 insertable in an opening 37 in the trim ring 13 which serves as a guide to position the heater unit 24 within the trim ring. This arrangement of the tab inserted in the opening 37 provides a hinge knuckle for pivoting the heater unit 24 upwardly to permit removal of the drip pan 22. The foot portion 34 is also provided with tapered shoulders 38 on either side of the projection 36, which shoulders serve as bearing surfaces for deflecting of the spring structure from the dot-dash or non-stressed position to the solid line position (see FIG. 2) upon insertion of the heater unit 24 into the trim ring 13. With the heater unit 24 in the trim ring 14, the deflection of the spring provides the necessary force indicated by the arrow (FIG. 2) to bias the tab 31 into the aperture 32 thereby securing the heater unit 24 in place.

It will be apparent that there has been disclosed a simple one-piece spring structure which serves to guide and lock a bolt-connected surface heater unit in place and also serves as one member of a hinge arrangement about which the heater unit may pivot for permitting removal of the drip pan.

While there has been shown and described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, modification thereto will readily occur to those skilled in the art. It is not desired therefore, that the invention be limited to the specific arrangements shown and described and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Electric heater structure comprising: a supporting surface having an opening therein, a wall depending from said supporting surface adjacent said opening, a ring member having an upper flange cooperating with said supporting surface for suspending said ring member in said opening, a heater unit having laterally extending terminal portions projecting under said supporting surface beyond said opening, a terminal block fastened to said heater terminal portions, said ring member having a lower inwardly extending flange and a pair of oppositely disposed apertures in the vertical wall joining said upper and lower flanges of said ring member, a dish-shaped pan having an upper flange resting on the lower flange of said ring member and supported thereby, a multi-legged support attached to said heater unit, one of said legs being axially aligned with said laterally extending terminal portions and having a tab carried by its free end, said tab being insertable in one of said apertures in the ring member, resilient means, one end of which is attached to said heater terminal portions while the other end is received in the other of said apertures, the distance between said apertures being less than the distance between the free end of said one of said legs and said resilient means before installation of said heater whereby said resilient means is effective to bias said heater unit in the direction of said tab to cause locking engagement thereof into said one of said apertures.

2. Electric heater structure comprising: a supporting surface having an opening therein, an annular wall depending from said supporting surface adjacent said opening, an electric heater supported in the opening, said depending wall having an aperture therein, resilient means attached to said heater and having a horizontally extending arm insertable in said aperture to form a hinge knuckle for pivotally mounting said heater to said depending wall, latch means in said depending wall at the side of said opening opposite said hinge knuckle engageable with a portion of said heater for retaining the latter in a horizontal position in said opening, the spacing between said aperture and said latch means being less than the distance between said portion of said heater and said resilient means whereby said resilient means is effective to bias said heater into latching engagement with said latch means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,457,007 12/ 1948 Sutherland 219-463 2,633,524 3/1953 Smith 219-463 2,751,487 6/ 1956 Vallorani et al. 219-463 2,839,655 6/1958 Price 219-463 RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner.

L. H. BENDER, Assistant Examiner. 

2. ELECTRIC HEATER STRUCTURE COMPRISING: A SUPPORTING SURFACE HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN, AN ANNULAR WALL DEPENDING FROM SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE ADJACENT SAID OPENING, AN ELECTRIC HEATER SUPPORTED IN THE OPENING, SAID DEPENDING WALL HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN, RESILIENT MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID HEATER AND HAVING A HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING ARM INSERTABLE IN SAID APERTURE TO FORM A HINGE KNUCKLE FOR PIVOTALLY MOUNTING SAID HEATER TO SAID DEPENDING WALL, LATCH MEANS IN SAID DEPENDING WALL AT THE SIDE OF SAID OPENING OPPOSITE SAID HINGE KNUCKLE ENGAGEABLE WITH A PORTION OF SAID HEATER FOR RETAINING THE LATTER IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION IN SAID OPENING, THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID APERTURE AND SAID LATCH MEANS BEING LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID PORTION OF SAID HEATER AND SAID RESILIENT MEANS WHEREBY SAID RESILIENT MEANS IS EFFECTIVE TO BAIS SAID HEATER INTO LATCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LATCH MEANS. 